Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that he expects U.S. peace talks with Iran to break down — and predicted that President Trump would move to take control of the Strait of Hormuz “by force” if diplomacy fails.
Graham, a South Carolina Republican, praised Trump for pursuing negotiations with Tehran. But he cast doubt on the prospects for success after a 14-point memorandum of understanding was signed last week, opening a 60-day window for peace talks aimed at reaching a broader agreement.
“I’d rather try diplomacy than take it off the table,” Graham said Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
“If you don’t have a diplomatic path through the MOU, then you have to go to war or some other form of coercion. Let’s try this. Let’s try a diplomatic solution. I think it’s going to fail,” he added.
Graham also warned that if the talks fall apart, Trump would seize the Strait of Hormuz and “obliterate” Iran should it challenge the U.S. move.
“I spent four-and-a-half hours with President Trump, Friday. Here’s what I think will happen next. If this deal fails, President Trump is going to take the Strait of Hormuz over by force,” the hawkish senator said.
“If Iran contests control of the Strait of Hormuz by the United States, we will obliterate them.”
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The South Carolina senator further predicted that if Hezbollah attacks Israel, “the new policy will be, we will attack Iran.”
Trump publicly threatened to bomb the Islamic Republic on Sunday and suggested charging tolls if America has to serve as the “guardian angel” of the critical waterway, where roughly a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies once flowed through annually.
The president further vowed to “hit Iran very hard” if Tehran fails to rein in its terrorist proxies from attacking Israel, alluding to Hezbollah.
In addition to taking control over the strait, Graham boldly predicted that Trump will successfully be able to get Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords in “calendar year 2026” and normalize relations between Riyadh and Israel.
Graham recounted how Israel and Saudi Arabia were getting close to normalizing relations until the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. The senator stressed that such a feat “can’t happen until Iran’s in a box.”
“Donald Trump is going to empower me and others to jump-start … an effort to get Saudi to join Israel,” Graham went on.
“There will be accommodations made by Saudi and Israel. To Saudi and Israel, you have no better friend than Donald Trump.”
